Hey guys and gals! So, it’s the end of October already and that means a few things. One…winter is coming!! And two, it’s just about time to overwinter your garden!! Are you ready to learn more about how to do so and maintain some bonus crops throughout the year? I’m hearing yes…let’s go!
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Finding Balance Through Gardening
Overwintering simply means prepping your garden for the cold season ahead. It is also about preparing what you can for the seasons to come. In my neck of the woods, I’m just starting to see the effects of the first frost on the leaves and plants around my property. It’s blissful and beautiful. But also time to start really getting more done outside before it gets too chilly! One of the things that we like to do ahead of the cold season is to pull out any remaining plants that will get frosted over and die. If you can do this before that happens, then great! If you’re like us and have a hectic schedule, try and get out there this weekend and do what you can. Remember life is all about balance my friends! We’ll be tearing up the remainder of the black plastic that we put down in spring for weed control. Then we will look at removing anything that can’t take the cold season. (Basically meaning for us this year, anything besides garlic and spinach!) We will however be leaving the established broccoli plants a while longer to ensure they’ve reached their maximum potential before we pull them out. Cole crops like this one can withstand the cold a little longer, so let’s give them their best chance, shall we?! Some of the plants and crops that can be moved indoors should be done so if you’re able to before the first frost. Obviously this day can come sooner for some people, so make sure to check up on which zone you’re in to ensure you’ve got enough time to do so! Related: Fall Into New Crops For Your Garden
Winter is Coming….
A few years back, (well maybe actually a lot of years back)…we built a cute little cold frame next to our house. At this time, it’s definitely seen better days and may need some upgrading next spring, but for now it still works wonderfully to enclose any crops that will be okay through the chilly season and hold off the snow or ice from crushing them! If you’re looking to build a cold frame of your own, check out your local hardware store for some material or try using what you have around the house! You’d be surprised what you may have on hand that would work well for a make-shift cold frame. However, if you’d like to take the quicker route, check out this affordable one I found on Amazon that could be shipped to your door before the winter sets in!Cold Frames and Root Cellars
If you don’t have a cold frame and don’t particularly care for one, don’t worry, there are plenty of other options! Something else we’ve done in the past is block up our window under the staircase. This is so that the space under our stairs was no longer just storage, but a canning closet and food storage area! The best rootcellars are underground of course so that they stay nice and cool throughout the years. However, this option has worked great for us to keep things just cool enough to last the time we’ve needed them for. We’ve stored potatoes, carrots, onions, herbs, seeds, garlic, and several other dried crops there for months at a time with no problem. Related: Dive Into Our Autumn Gardening Like a Pile of Scattered Leaves
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How to Overwinter
Herbs are something we use *all* the time in our home. Cooking, cleaning, medicinal, you name it. We love learning about these wonderful and incredible little plants. We also have acquired a handful of knowledge regarding them over the years. Cooking is something I currently have the most experience in with herbs however, so I tend to keep those nearby the most. My favorite herb of all time has got to be Oregano. It smells fantastic and goes good on basically anything. We also like to keep sage, thyme, basil, parsley, chives, cilantro, dill, chamomile, spearmint and lavender. Some of these will die out over the cold season, so feel free to dig them up (or start them in pots!) and bring them inside over the winter. Challenge yourself to keep them alive until they’re ready to be put back out there in spring! Some of these you can dry, but we’ve found that others are best frozen. For example, we now make room in our freezer for things like basil, dill, and parsley. We dry the rest either by hanging in a dark space for a little while or in our dehydrator. You can even make use of those pesky ice cube trays by freezing some in there for use in soups and cooking!Pruning for Winter Crops
Although herbs thrive over most of the year, it’s best to keep in mind that you need to continue to prune them properly so that they don’t die off when the frost comes. If you see a woody stem starting, be sure to leave that on the plant and cut above it! This is the plant’s way of “hunkering down” for the season ahead. Allow the plant to go into its dormant state instead of harvesting too late in the season and encouraging it to work on new growth.
What is Your Current Plan to Overwinter?
So, what’re your plans to overwinter your garden? Have you done something similar in the past, or is this a new adventure for you?! Let us hear all about your journey with gardening between seasons. How do you maintain crops during the less popular seasons? Do you plan to plant spinach? Or any cole crops? Have you put your plants inside already and are super ahead of the game? Or maybe you’ve still got to get started and are new to it all still. Either is okay! Just keep going and growing yourself and your garden into new levels of awesome each and every year. You’ve got this! Related: How Gardening Is Good For Your Soul
